Renji, the author of Blazing Feather, cast a glance toward Haruki, Rika, and the others. The success of Rurouni Kenshin in the preliminary round of the award still lingered like a bruise. Rika, never one to be subtle, had made it clear he was the editor behind the manga—and the rest of the group's quiet deanor only confird who the creator was.
All eyes had begun drifting toward Haruki, who sat by himself, eyes locked on his phone. His young age, paired with the sudden rise of Rurouni Kenshin, had turned him into sothing of a phenonon in manga circles. Renji felt a mixture of frustration and nostalgia—he rembered when it was his na people whispered about. But tis had changed, and he was no longer the rising star.
At exactly 8:00 p.m., the award ceremony livestream began across major platforms, quickly rising to the top of the trending list. In Tokyo's massive manga industry, this event wasn't far behind music awards or film galas in terms of visibility—and the recognition ant everything.
When Rurouni Kenshin first started, Haruki was still new at Kurokawa. The series had only drawn in about 300,000 readers. But now, it had snowballed.
Fans flooded the livestream chat, shouting support. Rurouni Kenshin quickly beca the dominant voice, eclipsing titles like Blazing Feather and Soul of War. It was clear which work had captured the spotlight.
As the host introduced the finalists, excitent built. When Rurouni Kenshin was called, the crowd nearly drowned out the announcent. Even Haruki, still seated with the other manga teams, couldn't ignore the shift in atmosphere. The gap between the works had grown obvious.
The rankings started from tenth place. The audience chuckled when the first finalist, Seika, received just 11 points—its strong start had faded fast over the past two weeks.
As the countdown continued, the points gap only widened. It beca clear that Rurouni Kenshin had surged far ahead of the rest.
The final rankings were about to be revealed. A hush fell over the room.
Rika, standing beside the editor-in-chief of a Zenith manga company, exchanged polite words. But when Rika's na ca up, the other editor chuckled knowingly.
"With Rurouni Kenshin building so much montum, I think we all know how this ends."
Rika smiled but deflected casually. "You never know. Surprises happen."
Kotone overheard and let out a small laugh. Haruki, catching the exchange, spoke without looking up. "She thinks it's funny. Don't mind her."
His tone was relaxed, but those close by knew the tension between him and Rika hadn't completely faded.
The ceremony pushed on.
Blazing Feather was announced in second place. Applause rang out, but the energy in the room had already begun to shift. As speeches from the runners-up followed—standard fare, all polite thanks and practiced smiles—Renji accepted his silver dal with a tight expression. Even he didn't know what to feel.
"It's us," Haruki said quietly to Kotone beside him.
Everyone already knew who had taken the top spot.
From unknown debut to award frontrunner in under six months—it didn't feel real.
Daichi allowed himself a rare smile.
Kotone's face turned pink with excitent, and Sora's phone buzzed nonstop.
The ssages ca fast:
"You guys actually pulled it off—congrats!"
"This is huge. You're going to make waves in Tokyo."
"Kenshin really did it… Unreal."
Sora grinned faintly and silenced his phone.
On stage, the host's tone grew formal as manga panels from Rurouni Kenshin Rembrance filled the screen behind her. Fans in the chat cheered nonstop.
"I think everyone already knows which work won the Award this year!" the host announced.
The crowd roared.
"Rurouni Kenshin Rembrance!"
"That's right," the host went on. "It started ranked 29th in the first round, but shot to first place in just four weeks—a record-breaking leap in the award's history!"
Fans reminisced in the chat, posting favorite panels and emotional reactions. The story had clearly struck a chord.
"And now," the host said, "please welco the creator of Rurouni Kenshin Rembrance—Mizushiro-sensei!"
Haruki exhaled slowly and stood. The spotlight found him at last.
The crowd in the venue and online surged with curiosity.
Back in Tokyo, staff from Kurokawa had gathered at the office, watching the ceremony projected onto a large screen. A quiet pride filled the room as Haruki made his way to the stage.
anwhile, the livestream chat was flooded with comnts.
"Wait, he's a high schooler?!"
"Is that really Mizushiro?!"
So questioned his age, but as Haruki walked confidently toward the stage, doubts lted away.
He took the mic from the host, heart pounding.
"Good evening. I'm Mizushiro, the author of Rurouni Kenshin Rembrance."
Cheers erupted.
Below the stage, Kotone clenched her fists, eyes bright with emotion. Daichi looked quietly overwheld—this was a career highlight.
Rika sat still, unreadable, his mind already turning toward what ca next.
"Mizushiro-sensei, you look incredibly young," the host said with a light laugh.
Haruki smiled. "I get that a lot."
The host laughed along. "We've got a few fan questions. First—do you plan to start a new series after this?"
"I haven't decided yet," Haruki replied.
"There's been a lot of buzz about Rurouni Kenshin. Is that true? Is Rembrance just one part of the full story?"
Haruki paused before answering, "Yeah. That's right."
The chat exploded with excitent.
"When will the next arc co out?!" soone posted.
Haruki smiled, letting the tension break. "Maybe never," he joked.
Laughter swept through the room.
The host chuckled. "You really like to tease the fans."
Haruki nodded. "It just feels good to be here. I'm really grateful."
The host gave a small bow. "Mizushiro-sensei, would you like to say a few words to your fans?"
Haruki stepped forward, hands steady on the mic.
"This award isn't just mine," he said. "It belongs to everyone who supported ."
"I was a total newcor when I started out. My first submissions? Only one even got a reply. and my editor believed in ."
In the crowd, Kotone's eyes sparkled. Daichi stood straighter. Even Rika's expression softened a bit.
"I want to thank my editor, my assistant, and everyone at the company who stood behind ," Haruki continued.
The host smiled. "And now, let's invite your team onstage!"
Haruki nodded. "I'd like to call up my editor, Sora, and my assistant, Kotone. This award belongs to them just as much as it does to ."
Applause broke out as they made their way to the stage—Sora, Kotone, and Daichi by Haruki's side. But even as they stood there together, the mont triumphant, sothing flickered behind Rika's eyes.
He was already thinking ahead.
Shout out to Mr. Grid, Mightyowl1767, Alexander Martinez, Noah Roberts, Jwolf231 for joining my p-atreon! your support ans everything to .
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon/Alioth23 for 50 advanced chapters)
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